each country he served. Efforts have been made to minimize the effect of his arrival in England, but the fact remains that new enterprises were very shortly undertaken, in the preparation for, and direction of which, he was actively engaged. In the search for new marts the far-off Cathay was again considered, and the question of a shorter passage thereto by the north-east or north-west again debated. Cabot pronounced in favour of the former route, and thither accordingly were dispatched two expeditions at the risk and adventure of the revivified corporation of Merchant Adventurers; the first under Willoughby in 1553, and the second under Chancellor in 1555. They did not find the north-east passage, but by their means a lucrative trade was opened up with Russia. In the last year of Edward VI's reign the Merchant Adventurers had been promised exclusive privileges of trade with any countries discovered by them; which promise was confirmed, and the company incorporated, by Mary in 1555, with Sebastian Cabot as Governor of the Company. In November 1566, Elizabeth renewed the grants made by her predecessors, the Company now being called "The Fellowship of English Merchants for the discovery of new trades." Humphrey Gilbert was a member of this Company, but when he joined it cannot now be ascertained. It is not impossible even that he may have known "the good old man Master Cabota," although he does not record the fact; but at least he knew many members of the Merchant Adventurers' Company who had been intimately associated with Cabot during the last few years of his life, prominent among whom were Stephen Burrough and Anthony Jenkinson. Cabot's experiences and sayings must have been daily referred to by members of the company, and Gilbert would have thus been au fait with all that was known of that first momentous attempt to find China by way of the north-west, and the consequent discovery of the "new lands." In addition to these ventures in which Gilbert was pecuniarily interested, his friend and neighbour in the West Country, John Hawkins, had just accomplished two most profitable voyages, slave trading to the Spanish West Indies, which may be said to have aroused the ire of the Spaniards and the cupidity of the English in about equal ratio. The West Country was ablaze with enthusiasm for voyages of discovery. Elizabeth herself became an "adventurer" in several expeditions, and ships of the Royal Navy were freely loaned for the purpose. Camden gives a spirited account of how "this wise and careful Princess rigged out her fleet with all manner of tacklin and ammunition, built a castle at Upnor for its defence, and augmented the pay of the sailors, so that she was justly called 'the restorer of the naval glory and Queen of the North Sea.' The wealthier inhabitants of the Seacoast did likewise follow the Queen's example in building ships of war with all cheerfulness, insomuch in a little time the Queen's fleet, in conjunction with her subjects shipping, was so potent, that it was able to furnish out 20,000 fighting men for sea service." It was undoubtedly a period of great mercantile expansion. Last, but probably not least, there were the numerous yearly fishing voyages made by the humble West Country fishermen to the prolific waters of the new-found land. In our introductory chapter, reasons have been advanced which amount to clear proof that these voyages were common, although quite unrecorded. Gilbert himself furnishes us with further testimony. In his Discourse of a North-West Passage, published in 1576, but written ten years before, he quotes the experience "of our yeerly fishers to Labrador and Terra Nova." He knew these fishermen, had questioned them, and learned all they could tell him of the waters they frequented. But no other reference to these voyages can be found. From Hore's voyage in 1536, to Anthony Pankhurst's in 1578, there is no record of any English voyage to Newfoundland, and it has been the custom to say that the country was therefore abandoned by England, but clearly such was not the case. There was therefore superabundant reason why Gilbert should desire to emulate his friends, should himself join the search for "Cathay and other unknown rich parts of the world," and also why he should revert to the route first chosen by Englishmen, that by the northwest. Gilbert was about twenty-four years old when he returned from Newhaven, he was in his twenty-seventh year when he went to Ireland, the interval he devoted to the study of the problem, and embodied the results in a pamphlet which was published ten years later under the title A Discourse of a Discoverie for a New Passage to Cataia. This pamphlet was given to the world, apparently without the consent of the author, by the poet Gascoigne in 1576. The story of its publication will be dealt with more at large in its proper place in this history; at present we are concerned only with its contents. Gascoigne, in his preface, tells us how it came to be written. Gilbert, with the impetuous ardour of youth, wished to set out at once on this voyage, which promised so much novelty and adventure; but, says Gascoigne, "You must herewith understand (good Reader) that the author havinge a worshippfull knight to his brother, who abashed at this enterprise (as well for that he himself had none issue, nor other heier whome he ment to bestow his landes upon, but onely this authour, and that this voyage seemed strãg and had not been commonly spoken of before, as also because it seemed impossible to the common capacities) did seme partly to dislike his resolutions and to disuade him from the same; therupon he wrote this treatise unto his said brother, both to execuse and cleare himself from the note of rashnesse and also to set down such authorities, reasons and experiences, as had chiefly encouraged him unto the same, as may appear by the letter next following, the which I have inserted for that purpose." The letter itself is interesting, not only for the purpose mentioned by Gascoigne, but as an example of Gilbert's epistolary style. "A LETTER OF SIR HUMFRY GILBERT, KNIGHT, SENT TO HIS BROTHER, SIR JOHN GILBERT, OF COMPTON, IN THE COUNTIE of Devon, KnIGHT, CONCERNING THE DISCOURSE OF THIS DISCOVERIE. "SIR, "You might iustly have charged mee with an Vnsettled head if I had at any time taken in hand, to discover Vtopia, or any countrey fained by imagination: But Cataia is none such, it is a countrey, well knowen to be described and set foorth by all moderne Geographers, whose authoritie in this art (contraire to all other) beareth most credit, and the passage thereunto, by the Northwest from vs, through a sea which lieth on the Northside of Labrador, mencioned and proved, by no smal number of the most expert, and best learned amongst them. By whose authoritie, if I (amongest others) have beene moved, to hope of that passage, who can iustly blame me? sith everie man is best to be credited and beleeved, in his own professed art and science, wherin he doth most excell. "And if I would not give that credit to those authours which they deserve, but were so wedded vnto my owne ignorance, that neither the authoritie of learned Geographers, the reasons of wise Philosophers, nor the experience of painfull Travellers, might persuade me to believe a trueth: Then might I iustly be accompted selfe willed (which a learner ought chiefly to eschewe) holding for a Maxime, that, Discentem oportet credere. And knowing you to be one that may easily be induced to hearken, and yeelde to reason, I will briefly opě vnto you, some fewe of the grounds of mine opinion, to the |